Children of color in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore area are among the most disadvantaged in the nation, with the highest rates of violence and gun-related mortality in United States. The Washington D.C.-Baltimore Center to Improve Child Health Disparities was formed as a result of collaboration between Howard University and Children's National Medical Center with the participation of Johns Hopkins University and the District of Columbia Department of Health. It draws on a model of health disparities as having diverse origins across the biopsychosocial continuum. It also recognizes the strength and resiliency of minority families in raising and protecting their children. The mission of the Center is to improve pediatric health disparities through rigorous, multidisciplinary, extramurally funded research addressing the issues of violence/injury and substance abuse. In addition, the Center will have a collaborative and bi-directional relationship with the community in the conduct of its work, both seeking their input and informing them of the Center's research. The Center will also identify, train, and mentor minority investigators in order to assure qualified academic scholars to develop solutions to the problems of pediatric health disparities. The Center has six interdisciplinary cores: Research, to strengthen and extend the existing base of disparity-relevant research in pediatric injury, violence and substance abuse; Administrative, to implement leadership from Howard University supported by a Community Advisory Board and External Advisory Committee; Shared Resources, to provide expertise in study design/biostatistics, small area geo-disparity analysis, and genomic techniques; Research Training, to provide programs for selected medical and pre-doctoral students at Howard University, as well as center-wide training in key areas such as study design and biostatistics, communication skills for work with the community, and cultural competence; Pilot Studies, to field new studies directed to violent injury and substance abuse, as well as developing new research in the area of pediatric obesity/type II diabetes; Community Collaboration, to develop and facilitate the essential bi-directional linkages to the community, seek input regarding research priorities, and provide science and research-focused outreach and education.